I'll Save You A Seat
by Supernatural Crossover Girl
Summary: Artemis Shepard is about to make the deciding choice of the war... and all she can think is she doesn't want to die. SPOILERS Canon compliant


Artemis Shepard was numb. She felt nothing as she stared at the Catalyst, the AI simply staring back at her. She felt as if a rock had dropped into her stomach. These were her choices?In each one she died... and there was no chance of a Lazarus project to bring her back this time.

Before this whole mess with the Reapers, she would have only considered her options and chose the best one. She wouldn't have cared about Death. But now...

_Garrus..._ she closed her eyes, remembering the night before...

_"I love you, Garrus Vakarian..."_ she never thought her heart could have been melted so easily... she never thought she could fall in love with a Turian...

"I don't want to die..." she whispered, her tears running down her face. "I want to live."

"You don't have that choice." spoke the AI. Artemis dropped to her knees, tears pouring down her Butcher of Torfan wrapped her arms around herself and sobbed, unable to stop hearing...

_"I love you..."_ in her head. She dimly remembered what she had once been. Shaved head, underfed, angry. She had never been nice to anyone, in fact, she had always been the opposite. She had been reckless, uncaring if she lived... or if she died. Anderson tried to help her, but all she did was brush him off. The promotion to Specter had been thought up by the Council. Artemis had been to enough shrinks to know she had been mentally unstable. And what better way to solve the situation of the humans bitching at the council, then to give in to their demands for a human Specter, only to promote the most unstable one they could find.

Then... Garrus came into her life. He'd just waltzed right in and made a home in her life, just like Kaidan did, though Garrus was more Spectacular at it. Even in the very beginning, there had been something there... there had been a spark... even when Artemis and Liara were together, her eyes kept going to Garrus. Then... she died, and it hurt. All she could think was that she would never see Garrus again... she didn't even think about seeing Apollo...

Apollo... she could see Apollo again. Artemis reached up to her neck, but stopped, the tips of her fingers touching her throat.

_"Hey, Art?" Garrus asked, as he sat in bed, reading a datapad. Artemis was reading as well, her eyes glued to the book in front of her. She preferred to read real books when she read fantasy._

_ "Hmm?" Artemis asked, not really paying attention. _

_ "I was wondering, what the necklace around your neck is." Garrus said, looking at Artemis. "I mean, you never take it off. At all." Artemis didn't answer for a few seconds, but then she closed her book and leaned back against the headboard, sighing._

_ "It's a Star of David. It's part of the Jewish religion... it was my brothers." Garrus was silent, watching her play with it. "I found it... on the crash site. The chain was broken so I took it to a jewelry store on the Citadel and got it fixed."_

_ "What happened to your brother?" Garrus asked, knowing that she wouldn't have it unless something had happened to him. She didn't answer for a few seconds, before she said,_

_ "He told me to run and hide... to not look back he handed me this necklace and told me to hide" Artemis didn't look at Garrus, not wanting him to see her weakness."Even though I was taller then any other kid my age, and tougher as well, Apollo would always protect me, no matter what. I guess it was throwback from being so sick as a kid. He was only a couple minutes older but, he still was my big brother. I listened to him always, so I ran and hid in the pantry. There was this little spot mom showed us, when we were little. It was big enough to fit the two of us, just in case of pirates coming. I slipped into it, and hid. But... I could still see him. In his hands he had my hockey stick, and as soon as the Batarians came in, he started swinging. When it broke, he grabbed a kitchen knife and started to come at them, but one of them managed to knock him out cold. They took him and all I did was hide..." Artemis felt a couple of tears roll down her face, but she refused to let Garrus touch her. "You need to know..._

_ I was saved three days later by the Alliance, but by then, Apollo was gone. I joined up with the Alliance, to prevent the same thing from happening to anyone else. I was doing good... I was slightly unstable, but most kids are if they have a twin and their separated. So, I kept going... until..."_

_ "Torfan?" Garrus asked. Artemis nodded, tears visible, as they distorted the light coming from her scars._

_ "At first, it was a normal mission... until we found the slave pins... Apollo was in one, half dead..." Artemis stood from the bed, walking over to her fish tank and staring at it, her fist clenching. "He... he asked me to shoot him... or to give him the gun and let him shoot himself..." Anger filled her eyes, making them glow even more. "Those Bartarian bastards did that to him. They turned him into something he wasn't. A coward." Artemis slammed her fist into the fish tank, her hand bouncing off the plexiglass. Then, she slumped. "I couldn't watch him kill himself..."_

_ "So you took the shot." Garrus said. Artemis nodded, leaning her head against the tank. He stood, and walked over to her. "And then you wiped out Torfan."_

_ "And turned into the mentally unstable woman I am today." Artemis said, not looking at him. Garrus reached out and grabbed her hand, turning her around to tug into his arms._

_ "Your not unstable. You just need an anchor." Artemis didn't answer, as she was to busy crying into his chest._

_ A couple weeks later, and she was on her way back to Earth._

_"I don't like this." Garrus stated, his voice tight. "I want to go with you..."_

_ "But Palaven needs you more right now." Artemis turned, and ran a hand over her hair. she was growing it out from it's previous shaved off state. It wasn't very long, but it was getting there. "Garrus, we will meet again someday. And until then..." She pushed something into her hand. "I want you to keep this." He looked down at his hand. It was her Star of David. _

_ "Art..." All she did was smile and walk away, towards the ship.  
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"Oh, Apollo... Artemis whispered, "What would you do?" She closed her eyes tightly, but then... she heard it.

_ "Your doing great little sister. You've only got a bit more to go..." _Artemis looked up, her eyes wide, to see Apollo... in all of his goth glory, smiling at her.

"Oh, God... I am so... so sorry." sobbed Artemis, staring at them. " Apollo... I should have done something... I should have never even thought about doing what you asked..."

_"Art... I've never ever blamed you. I asked you to kill me, and you did..."_Apollo said, smiling sadly at her. _"__You were always the tougher one... I wouldn't have been able to do what you've done, your so brave..." _Apollo held out his hand, and Artemis reached out, surprised she was able to grab it. _"I can't make this choice for you Art... but I'm here for you."_ Artemis looked at Apollo, and then took a breath. She picked up her pistol, and began to stumble over to the cord. She walked sluggishly and in great pain, almost falling a few times, only to be stopped by Apollo, who simply walked beside her. she stood in front of the cable, not looking at her brother.

"Would you have approved of Garrus App?"

_"I think, that I would have... after threatening him of course."_ chuckled Apollo. Artemis grinned, and held up her gun, before taking a breath.

"I'll save you a seat at the bar Garrus..."

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><p><strong> Yep, Canon compliant head canon.<strong>** I sobbed writing this...**

** I loved the ending to this series, though many didn't. i go lucky the first time I played and ended up with the cut scene of the person wearing the N7 armor breathing. I haven't played through Artemis's turn through the game, but I know she won't get that scene... she deserves some peace... my head canon for her is messed up. **

** Do I have fanon head canon? Yep. That I do. I'll post it some other time. And yes, Artemis lives.  
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